RECORDS
Independent label: American; out of Los Angeles. Solar was the successor to Dick Griffey who died on September 24, 2010 at age 71 from complications of quadruple-bypass heart surgery. and Don Cornelius's 'Soul Train' label. Cornelius was the creator and host of the 'Soul Train' TV show; when he decided to concentrate on the TV show (in 1978) Griffey was left in charge of the record company. He renamed it, Solar ('Sounds Of Los Angeles Records'), and relaunched it. Under his guidance Solar became a respected and successful Disco / R&B label: the Whispers, Dynasty and Carrie Lucas all hit the charts in the States, but the company's top act was Shalamar, with twenty hits Stateside. It was the same in Britain, but on a smaller scale: Shalamar scored fourteen times from 1979-86, the Whispers nine times (1980-87), Dynasty three times (1979-83) and Carrie Lucas once (1979). The label operated as a collective, with artists working on one another's records, and lasted into the late 1990s. In the '70s RCA manufactured and distributed Solar records over here; initially the label shared an FB-0000 numerical series with RCA's singles but this was replaced with a unique SO-0 series either at the beginning of 1980. Around 1982 WEA took over; the label design was revamped, and the numbering changed again. Distributed By MCA/RCA/WEA/. Thank to Robert Lyons for the info.
| 80 | Whispers | And The Beat Goes On | SOLAR | SO | 1 |
| 80 | Shalamar | Right In The Socket | SOLAR | SO | 2 |
| 80 | Dynasty | Satisfield | SOLAR | SO | 3 |
| 80 | Whispers | Lady | SOLAR | SO | 4 |
| 80 | Midnight Star | Make It Last | SOLAR | SO | 5 |
| 80 | Lakeside | From 9 Untill 5 | SOLAR | SO | 6 |
| 80 | Not Traced | SOLAR | SO | 7 | |
| 80 | Whispers | My Girl | SOLAR | SO | 8 |
| 80 | Lucas Carrie | Keep Smiling | SOLAR | SO | 9 |
| 80 | Dynasty | I'Ve Just Begun To Love You | SOLAR | SO | 10 |
| 80 | Shalamar | I Owe You One | SOLAR | SO | 11 |
| 80 | Whispers | Out Of The Box | SOLAR | SO | 12 |
| 80 | Lucas Carrie | It'S Not What You Got | SOLAR | SO | 13 |
| 80 | Dynasty | Do Me Right | SOLAR | SO | 14 |
| 81 | Lakeside | Fantastic Journey | SOLAR | SO | 15 |
| 81 | Whispers | It'S A Love Thing | SOLAR | SO | 16 |
| 81 | Shalamar | Make That Move | SOLAR | SO | 17 |
| 81 | Dynasty | Groove Control | SOLAR | SO | 18 |
| 81 | Whispers | I Can Make It Better | SOLAR | SO | 19 |
| 81 | Not Traced | SOLAR | SO | 20 | |
| 81 | Shalamar | Work It Out | SOLAR | SO | 21 |
| 81 | Whispers | This Kind Of Lovin | SOLAR | SO | 22 |
| 81 | Shalamar | Sweeta As The Days Go On | SOLAR | SO | 23 |
| 82 | Shalamar | Talk To Me | SOLAR | SO | 24 |
| 81 | Klymaxx | Never Underestimate The Power | SOLAR | K | 12541 |
| 81 | Midnight Star | I'Ve Been Watching You | SOLAR | K | 12545 |
| 81 | Dynasty | Here I Am | SOLAR | K | 12550 |
| 81 | Dynasty | Love In The Fast Lane | SOLAR | K | 12577 |
| 82 | Lakeside | I Want To Hold Your Hand | SOLAR | K | 12590 |
| 82 | Whispers | In The Raw | SOLAR | K | 12597 |
| 82 | Shalamar | I Can Make You Feel Good | SOLAR | K | 12599 |
| 82 | Klymaxx | Never Underestimate | SOLAR | K | 12641 |
| 82 | Shalamar | A Night To Remember | SOLAR | K | 13162 |
| 82 | Whispers | Emergancy | SOLAR | K | 13171 |
| 82 | Lucas Carrie | Show Me Where You'Re Going | SOLAR | K | 13175 |
| 82 | Shalamar | There It Is (Edited Version) | SOLAR | K | 13194 |
